Unicaja and the Almería Province Trade Federation, a member of Asempal, held the conference “Safe Trade, Trade with a Future”, a meeting aimed at the Almería retail sector which took place at the Unicaja Foundation Cultural Centre.
The session aimed to analyse the current situation of the retail sector in the province of Almería and offer practical recommendations to strengthen the security of commercial establishments, both physically and digitally, in the face of increasing new risks that particularly affect SMEs, the self-employed and small businesses.
The conference is part of the agreement signed between Unicaja and the Almería Province Trade Federation to promote a specific study on Almería’s retail sector, developed in collaboration with the University of Almería, with the aim of providing technical and region-specific information to help guide future initiatives in support of the sector.
The event was opened by Juan Cayuela, Unicaja’s regional manager for Eastern Andalusia, and Javier Moya, president of the Almería Province Trade Federation.
During his speech, Juan Cayuela highlighted the role of local commerce in the province, not only for its contribution to economic activity and employment, but also for its social function in the life of neighbourhoods, municipalities and urban centres. He emphasised the bank’s commitment to Almería’s commercial fabric and recalled Unicaja’s deep roots in the province, where it maintains an extensive network of support and services for businesses, the self-employed and families.
For his part, Javier Moya highlighted that behind every business there are people, families, self-employed individuals and small businesses who face numerous challenges on a daily basis, ranging from rising costs and competition to digitalisation, new forms of online sales and security-related issues. The Federation’s president emphasised the need to continue supporting local businesses and to provide useful tools that enable establishments to be better prepared for current risks.
Conclusions of the report
Belén Payán, from the Department of Economics and Business at the University of Almería, presented the Report on Retail Trade in Almería, which provides an overview of the situation, development and main challenges facing the sector in the province.
The study confirms that retail remains a strategic sector for the Almeria economy. The sector accounts for 17% of the province’s businesses and generates over 25% of the employment in the Almeria economy, making it the productive sector that generates the most jobs.
According to 2024 data, Almería is home to 11,310 businesses in the retail sector and generates 61,111 jobs, playing a significant role within the Andalusian economy as a whole. Furthermore, the retail sector in the province has an average of 12,313 self-employed registrations and, at the end of the last quarter of 2024, recorded 16,564 contracts, representing a year-on-year increase of 20.6%.
The report reflects, however, a structural adjustment in the retail sector in recent years. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of retail businesses in the province fell by 6.3%, whilst the number of outlets decreased by 11.1%, a trend similar to that recorded across Andalusia as a whole. The study also highlights the high prevalence of small businesses and the self-employed, as in 2023 85% of retail businesses in Almería had fewer than three employees, indicating a structure that is particularly vulnerable to crises, digital transformation and changes in consumer habits.
Despite these difficulties, the study concludes that retail is an essential pillar of Almería’s economy and that its future will depend on its capacity for adaptation, modernisation and territorial balance.
Cybersecurity advice
The event also featured a presentation by Manuel Guillermo Portolés, head of Cybersecurity and Third-Party Control at Unicaja, who addressed cybersecurity from a practical perspective tailored to the reality of SMEs.
Portolés explained the importance of understanding risk as a combination of probability and impact, and encouraged companies to carry out a systematic review of their assets, threats and protective measures, avoiding both improvisation and the so-called ‘culture of fear’.
Alejandro López, Chief Inspector of Group VI (Cybercrime) within the Judicial Police of the National Police, then gave a presentation on cybersecurity and practical security measures for businesses. During his talk, he warned of digital frauds such as phishing, identity theft, CEO fraud, scams in customer-supplier relationships, fake technical support and ransomware, and recommended establishing simple prevention protocols, such as not clicking on suspicious links, not providing codes over the phone, checking any changes to bank account details via your own channels, keeping equipment up to date and having backups.
The Chief Inspector emphasised that many scams rely on a sense of urgency, fear and a failure to verify information. He also highlighted the importance of reporting or communicating incidents to facilitate preventive and investigative work.
The Almería Provincial Trade Federation, established in 1991, represents and defends the interests of Almería’s businesses, coordinates the joint action of its members and offers information, advisory and training services aimed at strengthening commercial activity.
For its part, Unicaja’s support for this initiative falls within its commitment to Almería’s business and commercial fabric, as well as its commitment to SMEs and the self-employed as key groups for the province’s economic revitalisation.
